


Burning Heart

by CoverFireGoddess880 (orphan_account)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst and Feels, Childbirth, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, Mpreg, Pregnant Noctis!, Sleepy Cuddles, i love him so much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-05 15:51:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13391136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/CoverFireGoddess880
Summary: Maybe a trek up the Rock of Ravatogh was just what they needed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Whatever beckoned to me from the inside to write this is a little genius, but I'm still confused as to why I wrote it... hmm...
> 
> Anyway, hope you like ^_^ Comments are appreciated~<3

Noctis’s legs were about to fall out from under him as he stumbled up the rocky ledges of Ravatogh, his entire body suddenly feeling like lead. “Gladioooooo,” he whined, watching with disdain as Gladio climbed the mountain with ease, glancing back over his shoulder more than once in a single second to make sure his prince was right behind him.

But he was pretty far below him, sweaty and struggling on some of the loose gravel beneath his hot boots. The shield raced down from his higher ground, bounding for Noctis’s side in an instant to help him up. “Noct,” the taller man scolded, his tone deeper than usual when he was mad or upset. Clearly the latter, given his prince’s condition. “I told you to let me know immediately if you needed help. You can’t make it up by yourself, so don’t even try.”

“Why do you think I called your name?”, Noctis retorted, clawing his trembling hands into the firm dirt to keep himself from falling backwards and off the cliff face. “I’m not stupid, you just go too fast for me.”

“Never said you were stupid,” Gladio scooped his arms under his prince’s ribs to bring him to his feet. “But I have no idea why you insisted, and begged, and pleaded for me to take you all the way to the top, especially right now!”

“So we could be alone. You know how annoying both of them have been lately?”

Gladio grunted as Noctis tried to push him away, retightening his hold on his prince. “Prompto and Iggy are just overly concerned about you, Noct. Rightfully so, in case you forgot,” he said, patting his heavily swollen middle.

“How in the world could I forget this?”, he looked up into his shield’s amber eyes, trying not to raise his voice in his obvious state of frustration. “It’s not exactly gonna go away overnight, and it’s not all my fault, in case YOU forgot.”

“Heh, yeah… I know,” Gladio chuckled, kissing the back of Noctis’s ashy head. “That was one amazing night after we took the Regalia back, huh?”

A smirk unwillingly slid itself onto Noctis’s lips as he remembered that night too, smoothing over his belly where he had just been kicked a moment ago. “Conceived in the backseat of my dad’s car… and Ignis’s constant complaints the next morning about the cum stains? Yeah, good times…”

“And accidentally leaving the tube of lube in the front seat…”

“Prompto sitting on it and making it squirt all over his clothes!”, Noctis burst out laughing, coughing a little as the volcanic ashes flew by their faces.

Gladio held him tighter as his own laughter joined in, both of them doubling over in their reminiscent humor. His broad arms sunk a little low on Noctis’s belly, totally unaware of his actions as loud chuckles tumbled out of the two lovers.

“Gah!”, Noctis gasped suddenly, clutching his middle as Gladio mistakenly squeezed him. “Gladio, get off!”

Gladio came back to reality, hastily pulling away from his prince as Noctis stood tense and still. “What? What’s the matter? What’d I do?!”

Noctis breathed out slowly, relieved that it wasn’t anything serious. He reached back to reassuringly pat his shield’s arm. “It’s okay. The baby just kicked, that’s all. Shocked me,” he smiled, taking Gladio’s hand and dragging him along up the cliff. 

Gladio heaved his own relief, holding his chest for good measure that everything was okay. “You fucking scared the ever-living shit out of me…”

“I do that pretty often now, don’t I?”

Gladio couldn’t help but feel challenged by that smug comment, both intense passion and adrenaline coursing through his veins. He pulled on Noctis’s arm, letting him fall flush against his taut chest, the outline of his toned torso veiled only by his dark tank top. “Pregnant or not, you’re such a brat. C’mere,” he chuckled, picking the prince up in his arms, cradling his delicate form as he carried him up the cliff.

Noctis wrapped his arms around his shield’s neck, fingering his auburn strands before leaning in to press a chaste kiss on his cheek. “You still love me though, right? Even though I push all your buttons and tease you constantly like it’s my mission in life?”

The taller man smirked, playfully blowing on the prince’s dark, wispy bangs. “I love you because no one else could stand you. And that’s sayin’ a lot.”

Noctis smirked back, closing his blue eyes and nuzzling into Gladio’s soft, firm pecs that peeked out the top of his shirt. “I love you, Gladio…,” he murmured, kissing through the thin fabric of his shield’s tank top.

The sun had begun to set upon the cliffs of the blazing volcano, everything awash with golden beams and put to rest under a soft blanket of growing shadows. The air breezed warm and gentle, caressing the little, hardy, papery yellow flowers that dressed the sides of the rocky cliffs.

It wasn’t too hot, despite walking up a volcano. It didn’t make any difference though, Gladio and his prince were already soaked to the skin in sweat and caked in a layer of dirt. As he made his way up the side of the mountain, he made sure every step he took was careful and calculated, keeping Noctis still as he slept in his arms.

Everything seemed so perfect right now, so peaceful that Gladio stopped and sat upon quite a spacious cliff just so he could watch the golden sunset disappear below the horizon. And for some reason, as he gazed down at the prince’s softly slumbering face nestled within the crook of his bicep, a tear rolled down his cheek and fell upon Noctis’s ebony bangs that blew tenderly across his milky, ivory skin in the warmth of the southern breeze.

Noctis’s soft hands rested over his baby bump, slowly rising and falling with each steady murmur of breath in his royal being. Gladio brought one of those soft hands to rest in his, feeling the beginnings of white, thick calluses inside the prince’s palms. He could recall when those calluses had probably begun to form: their many, innumerable battles.

But no, it wasn’t just some simple battles or casual hunts that caused this kind of rough, painful aftermath. It was the wars… the wars between human and god, namely the burdens of Noctis’s birthright. The forging of covenants with the Six was by no means a simple task. It took so much out of the prince, draining him of his strength and there were days when Noctis just couldn’t find enough to get out of bed.

His battle with Titan wore him down to the bone, moaning and groaning through his pain that throbbed in both fleshy bruises and aching muscles. The unbearable headaches had exhausted his mind and body to the point where, if it weren’t for the help of his friends, he most likely wouldn’t have made it through the rite.

Then there was Ramuh right after, his call to the king had beckoned the return of those headaches, only causing Noctis more pain to be endured as he trudged through the mud and rain to complete his next rite. Gladio would argue with the Fulgurian that it was much too soon to call on the weakened prince, the weight of it all burdening his heavy shoulders.

Noctis had so much to carry, so much pressure hanging on his actions. Gladio wished he could be the one to carry it all for him, his shoulders broader and stronger than the young prince’s fragile body. But it wasn’t his place, and the shield understood that well. It just hurt him to see Noctis burden the weight and responsibility of completing his ascension as the True King, his pain holding him back many times.

No matter how hard Noctis pushed through his duty without a gripe or cry, Gladio could clearly see the silent struggle tugging on his prince, pulling him down to hold him down; the hidden tears of regret, pain, and sorrow threatening to drown out his bravery in the face of self-sacrifice.

It all shone evident on Noctis’s skin as well, the Marks of the Six bearing not just a spiritual essence, but a fleshly presence in the wake of completed rites.

Gladio gently peeled back the hem of Noctis’s black maternity shirt, locating the mark of the Archaean etched into the crook of his squishy hip. It looked a bit like a birthmark; a pale, eternal symbol of the forging of a pact between Chosen King and the blessing of one of the Six.

A blessing… How was this a blessing? A bestowing of power upon the future king, but how much more did each of these ‘blessings’ demand of him? At least with Ramuh, it was a generous offering that caused Noctis no pain, but still, came with a price. Gladio knew the Mark of the Fulgurian burned itself into the nape of Noctis’s neck, the same place Gladio had left many of his love bites.

And there was still more to come… Leviathan, the Tidemother, lay in wait for the Chosen King to forge a covenant with her among the waves in Altissia. Then there was Shiva, then Ifrit, and Bahamut… Gods, how much more did Noctis have to take before they were finished with him?

While lost in his thoughts, Gladio felt the tiny jabs from his baby inside of his prince, causing that twinge of guilt to resurface in his heart. What right did Gladio have to put the burden of childbearing on his prince, on top of everything else? It wasn’t much of an accident when Gladio’s condom broke and Noctis refused to take the pill. It was just… a simple mistake. One that lead to strict reprimand from the prince’s advisor.

Ignis had warned them both of this very thing: conceiving a child while en route to Altissia for a covenant with Leviathan? It was a foolish act on both of their parts, the life of the child stuck in the way of danger, in addition to strain it put on Noctis’s body. He needed all of his strength for this journey, and Gladio had stripped even that from him.

That which he was sworn to give him in his time of need.

The sun finally said goodbye and fell beneath the purple horizon, the sky steadily growing darker. Gladio sighed quietly, heaving himself up from his perch on the cliff to make for the summit, where he and his pregnant prince would rest for the night.

 

×××

Gladio laid on the floor of the tent, cuddling Noctis close to his chest beside him; those cute little moans breathing warmly into the shield’s taut abs. His phone went off again, lighting up and buzzing near his head. He picked it up, but didn’t look at the caller ID, already knowing who had been calling them repeatedly every hour on the dot.

Ignis.

“No, no…,” Gladio whispered to the phone, shaking his head as he set it on silent mode and placed it away from him. “Sorry, Iggy, but this is our special time.”

A tiny groan escaped from the smaller man in his arms, his blue eyes fluttering open to see copper-sheened ones smiling back at him. But it wasn’t a happy smile, and Noctis knew why; his gaze travelling toward the neglected phone. “Again?” The prince met his lover’s answering nod, responding with a sigh. “That makes what, 15 times?”

“More like 16,” he replied, kissing his lover’s temple. “How you feelin’?”

Noctis smiled, hugging Gladio’s waist and nuzzling his nose into his. “Like I could go for some long overdue lovin’...”

“Really? In your condition? Last time I crawled on top of you, you pushed me away,” Gladio scoffed.

“Yeah, but I’m the one initiating it THIS time… And you haven’t talked to the baby in a while either.”

The taller man leaned his forehead into Noctis’s, swiftly pecking his lips a few times. “You’re right, princess. Have I been that bad?”

Noctis’s half-lidded eyes flickered the same naughty thoughts his smirk did. “Yup. Pretty bad.”

“Then lemme make it up to you, Noct,” he growled huskily, slipping down to cradle Noctis’s heavy belly. He lifted his shirt up and tucked it under his swelling breasts, slopping kisses all over his middle. “Mmm… a month is too long without this…”

“Now you know how I feel,” Noctis purred, placing his smaller hands over his lover’s tan, calloused ones. “Pregnancy isn’t as romantic as women make it out to be.”

“I think it is.”

“That’s cuz you get the easy job.”

“I love watchin’ you swell up and become all squishy,” he murmured, rubbing fast, little circles over his prince’s baby bump. “Then lookin’ at you when you’re all lazy and slumped down beneath the covers, your beautiful, sleepy, little blues callin’ me over… sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Good to know you derive pleasure from watching me suffer,” Noctis mumbled, shifting his weight off his spine with a groan. “Now, are we gonna do this or not?”

“Hell yeah, baby…”

He loomed over him, leaning down for his pouty mouth to lick along his bottom lip. Noctis giggled as Gladio’s tongue slipped inside his mouth, the prince wrapping his arms across his nape to hold him closer. Breaking the kiss as sloppily as he could, Gladio pulled back and watched Noctis’s sapphire eyes flutter back and forth, gazing into both of his.

“Why’d you stop?”, the prince whined, reaching up into those long, brown locks.

Gladio’s smile cast a light as his massive wall of muscle overshadowed his lover. “Just wanted to look at you… Oh, Noct…” His large, careful fingers brushed away some dark bangs from the prince’s eyes. “You’re beautiful, and I know you know it.”

“‘course I do… Why do you think I make such a spectacle of myself around you?” His references to how he dangles himself in front of his lover made the shield growl for him, dropping himself closer to Noctis’s swollen belly.

“I’ve noticed, baby. You look damn sexy doin’ it too,” he grunted into their next passionate kiss, almost all tongue. Noctis moaned his name loudly, thrusting his waist up into Gladio’s arousal. “Be as loud as you want, Noct… it’s just you… and me… up here…”

“Gladio~...” The prince was hotter than a bonfire, his whole body reliving the start of that night their little one was conceived as Gladio trailed his kisses and licks down his throat. “Love you…”

“Noct…”, he groaned against his neck, vibrating his prince’s sensitive, milky flesh. “Noct, I love you so… damn… much… baby!”

Noctis took both hands and ran them down the length of Gladio’s cascade of abs, freezing just before his belt as his phone went off in his pocket. He slowly reached for it, taking Gladio’s hand as he helped him sit up.

The shield knelt back on the balls of his feet with a heavy, unhappy groan. “You gonna answer this one?”

Replying with only a small nod, Noctis swiped his phone screen to answer Ignis’s 17th call. “Ignis?”

A few seconds and the prince was flinging heated words into the speaker as Gladio sat across from him with his arms crossed in annoyance.

“No, Iggy, we’re fine…….. Yes, I know that already!....... We’ve got it under control, and I’m not due for another two weeks! So, would you stop worrying?” He stole an eye-roll with his shield, mouthing a groan as Ignis’s accented voice came out squeaky on the other side. “Yeah, Gladio’s here with me because I asked him to take me! You think I’d be stupid enough to come alone?.......... No. No! I said no, Ignis! I wanna be up here alone with him. We don’t ever get time like this anymore!........... Just leave us alone, okay?!....... Why do you have to be this way all the time?”

Gladio peeled back the tent flap and stared blankly into the starry sky while Noctis continued his barrage of nasty remarks toward his concerned advisor.

He felt… guilty.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love mpreg! - Nuff said...

The sting of stern beratement, that strict tone of ire and disappointment, those green eyes that flickered a twist of concern and steadily growing rage, fit to burst until the young couple returned to the camper late the next morning. He wasted no time in letting them know how distraught they had made him, leaving without a word to either him or Prompto.

 

 This was how it started as soon as that aluminum door swung open, and Gladio stepped inside with Noctis carefully cradled in his arms, both covered in mud, dirt and sweat. Shouting ensued, the ringing of high-pitched yells bouncing around the caravan gave no indication that he would be finished scolding them any time soon.

 

 Ignis had approached Gladio furiously, causing the larger to back up against the wall in defense as soon as he set the exhausted, pregnant prince down beside Prompto in the small breakfast nook bench.

 

 The advisor threw his hands up, a scoff of disbelief flew out of his tightly set jaw. “Of all the foolish, reckless and irresponsible follies you could EVER commit, you steal him away to the top of a mountain! A volcano, to be precise, and you expect me to agree that it was harmless?! You put all three of your lives in danger!”

 

 Gladio rolled his eyes, a heavy sigh and a palm on his hip gave the notion that he was growing impatient with this argument. Fast. “There was nothing wrong with what we did. Noct wanted some alone time, so we left to find some!”

 

 “This has nothing to do with right or wrong, Gladio. The protection of the king falls to you, and you risk both his life and the baby’s life for the sake of ‘alone time’ on the top of a volcano?! A walk by the geysers would have sufficed!”

 

 “You don’t get it, Iggy, you just don’t get it. Nothing happened! We’re alright, we’re alive, and Noct feels a helluva lot better getting away from you two.” His glare shifted from green eyes to blue, staring Prompto down as well. “He’s got the right to feel overwhelmed and overworked, y’know. A king’s gotta have HIS rest too!”

 

 The advisor unnecessarily adjusted his glasses over the bridge of his nose, a habit he had taken to when arguments arose and he knew he would be challenged within them. “You know as well as I do that we have all been trying to help our prince adjust to this new phase of life, as taxing as it’s been on him. One risky move is all it would take to push him over the edge in his delicate state! And you are the worst offender!”

 

 “I’m the only one who cares about how Noct feels about all this, and everything he’s going through! Feelings, Iggy. You’ve gotta have ‘em to be sensitive enough to understand! Duty’s fine and all, but you’ve got too tight of an ass, and Noct needs a lot more reassurance than a couple of buttery words to make him realize he’s gonna be king one day. He needs love, and caring… someone who’s gonna be there when no one else is!”

 

 “And you think I’m that ignorant and that cold hearted to go so far as to ignore my friend’s personal worries and feelings? You must’ve forgotten just who it was that cared for him when you abandoned us in his 6th month,” Ignis lowered his tone, taking a sly and firm stance on what he thought to be carelessness in Gladio’s abrupt absence.

 

Out of frustration and being reminded of his merited excursion that Ignis held severe contempt for, Gladio straightened his broad shoulders to present himself as a towering threat to the advisor. “Don’t even, Ignis. Don’t. Even. I left because I had to. I did it for him and he knows that!”

 

 “You left because you couldn’t face the reality and fragility of Noct’s condition. It was as plain as day, and the guilt was written all over your face.”

 

 Gladio said nothing, staring frozen daggers at the bewildered advisor as he continued to scold him. He stole a glance over at Noctis, whose blue eyes fell closed when a dull pain nudged his hip from his very eager baby. His eyes widened.

 

 Prompto reached over to knead his shoulders, general concern denting his freckles. “You okay, Noct?” His whisper was barely heard over the constant arguing.

 

 Noctis winced at another, harder kick. “Uh huh… It’s just kicking at my back…,” he said dully, grabbing at his lower back. “Can’t wait till this is over.”

 

 “Want me to help you over to the beds? Or maybe you’d like something to eat? Can I get you some-”

 

 “Prompto, stop,” he hissed, pushing the blonde’s hands away. “Stop trying to help, alright? I’m fine, it’s just-”

 

 “I’m DONE! I’m SICK of this, Iggy! Noct is MY responsibility and you need to back the hell away from us! Shove it up your pompous ass!” The jolting slam of the caravan door left the other three in awkward silence as Gladio abruptly left the argument.

 

 For a moment, everyone just sat in the unsettling stillness of the camper before Ignis picked the noise back up again, shuffling over toward his prince. “Noct, are you truly alright?” It sounded like he was genuinely interested in knowing how Noctis felt, but his jade eyes still burned with anger.

 

 Noctis glared hard at him. “Why do you have to yell at him like that?”

 

 Ignis still hadn’t met his gaze, taking his prince’s hand in both of his. “You know perfectly well why,” he said firmly as he knelt before him, smoothing over his hand with his cold, red-capped knuckles. “He is the king’s shield, and he has limits just like the rest of us. When he breaks them, he must understand and face the consequences of his foolishness; his duty demands such.”

 

 “It wasn’t his idea, y’know. I asked him to take me up there so we could be alone.”

 

 “Yes,” he agreed with a sigh, pushing his glasses up and placing a hand on Noctis’s belly. He finally looked into his eyes. “But you are his charge. It falls to him to make sure no harm comes upon you, Noct. It matters not what the prince’s silly decisions may be, we must be responsible enough to prevent these tragedies from occurring in your stead. I simply reminded him of his obvious failings, so he could be better off the next time some stupid nonsense works its way into his feeble mind.”

 

 Noctis yanked away from his advisor, pushing his weight off the bench as he struggled to stand. “I need to go find him.”

 

 Prompto’s worried eyes watched him carefully. “Noct? Are you sure you should be straining yourself like that?”

 

 “Move, Ignis,” the prince demanded, eying him sharply.

 

 To the prince’s aggravation, Ignis shook his head and took his hand again, gripping rather roughly. “Absolutely not. You will rest now, Noct, both you and the baby have been through enough already.”

 

 He pushed on the taller man’s chest in an effort to get away, but then felt Prompto’s shaky fingers hooking over his shoulders once more.

 

 “Iggy’s right, Noct. You should get some sleep…”

 

 “And I’ll be right beside you if you need anything,” Ignis reminded him, dragging his wobbly body over to the fold out beds.

 

 He’d had enough of this: Prompto’s whiny begging to be helpful and Ignis’s overbearing, torturous 24-hour monitoring rubbed every nerve raw. After that heated and unnecessary exchange of hateful words between his caring friend and loving shield, Noctis just about wanted to disappear.

 

 Perhaps wishing just that the child didn’t exist at all. It had caused such a rift between all four of them, dissention among their close bonds. But it was his and Gladio’s choice alone, wasn’t it? They had made that choice to conceive the moment Noctis refused to take his pill, insisting that maybe it wouldn’t hinder them too much, and a baby was a joyous thing to have.

 

 At least, it was supposed to be. Noctis felt exactly like he did back home, under the strict supervision and care of dozens of attendants: stiff and spoiled, never allowed to care for himself, by himself. The only relief from it was when Gladio was around, making jokes and comforting his prince in just the right way to where he felt good about letting someone else into his private bubble.

 

 Ignis shook out and draped a fluffy comforter over the bunk, smoothing out the crumpled folds. “Spare no comfort for the prince, especially now,” he mused, motioning with a chapped finger for Noctis to come over. Noctis scowled.

 

 “I’ll go to bed on one condition.”

 

 Glancing sharply at Noctis’s middle as the bulge of the baby’s movement poked through his shirt, he raised a curious, but still suspicious brow. “And what’s that?”

 

 He jabbed a finger at the tiny side window. “You apologize to Gladio,” he clearly drew out each word.

 

 “Noctis,” he sighed, exasperated, pinching the bridge of his angular nose. “I refuse to speak to that man as of now. When we arrive in Altissia, perhaps I MIGHT change my mind. But you are my main concern as of this moment and you will rest. No more arguments.”

 

 Noctis knew that if he protested any more, it would just be useless bantering and this was tiring enough. So he gave in, albeit reluctantly, and fell asleep harboring a resentful disposition.

  
  


 ×××

 

 When Gladio came back that night, the camper was filled with nothing but constant snoring and light moaning. Most of the noise coming from Prompto, who always slept with his mouth wide open and a thick strand of drool oozing onto his pillow. Quietly, he slipped inside, hoping not to wake Ignis especially in case he had a mind to berate him further tonight.

 

 He found Noctis lying on his side away from the door, curled up in one thin blanket as his head was propped up on his hands locked together beneath his pillow. He had been complaining about how hot he’d get when he slept, pregnancy hormones being the proverbial thorn in his side. But he would still let Gladio’s overwhelming, heated behemoth of a body sleep beside him, no matter how sweaty he became.

 

 Changing into sweats as he readied himself for bed, Gladio slowly peeled back the covers and slid in next to his lover. He snuck his broad arms around his middle, cuddling their unborn joy as Noctis yawned and flipped over to see his shield.

 

 “Hi,” he says, sweetly sleepy, but rather sad as he buries his smile into Gladio’s solid warmth.

 

 Gladio’s silence bothered himself, greedily cuddling Noctis in return.

 

 “I asked Ignis to apologize to you, but he said he wouldn't speak to you right now,” he whispered, shifting to lie his head flat on Gladio’s chest. “I’m sorry he’s so thick-headed… He’s been like that since I can remember.”

 

 A grunt served as his response, kissing into his soft, dark hair that tickled his neck whenever Noctis turned his head. He needed to be close to Noctis now, feeling so unsure of himself.

 

 “You okay?”, those beautiful blue eyes asked with a bit of worry, that soft hand cupping his scruff. “You’re not usually this quiet.”

 

 “Fine,” he replies simply, almost no emotion in his tone. “Just tired.”

 

 “You sure?”

 

 “Noct.” A heavy sigh. “Why did you choose to fall in love with me?”

 

 Noctis pulled back, lifting his head to give his shield a confused look. “What kind of question is that?”

 

 “Just wanna know.”

 

 “Uh, because I just did…? Because I love you? I dunno, what are you looking for?”

 

 Gladio took hold of his prince’s hand and kissed each one of his knuckles. “You ever regret it? I mean, you have Lady Lunafreya. Hell, we’re going to Altissia, Noct. You think they’re gonna be welcoming to a pregnant groom?”

 

 “Gladio…” Noctis laughed quietly, moving to straddle his lover’s toned waist with his palms splayed across his stomach. “Who said there was gonna be a wedding? It was called off, remember? I love Luna, but not in that way. I care for her as a friend, we hardly know each other. But I’ve known you all my life, and you’re my best friend, Gladio. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be? I love you because… I just do, that’s it.”

 

 Noctis’s words sounded so full of certainty and promise that it caused Gladio to feel even worse. If his guilt were an ocean, he was sure he would be drowning now. He rested both hands on Noctis’s swollen belly and breathed deeply, his amber eyes speaking volumes of how in love with Noctis he truly was as they flashed at those sapphires before him. “Do you, uh… never mind.”

 

 “Say it,” he urged him, drumming on his hands with soft taps of his fingers. “What?”

 

 There was no hiding anything from Noctis, especially when he egged him on with that pouty tone. Gladio was a sucker for his prince’s mopey attitudes, giving in to him on more than one occasion as he just couldn’t resist how cute it made him. Noctis was adorable, and he proved it to his lover in such subtle ways that made Gladio weak at the knees.

 

 Perhaps that was one of the reasons he fell in love with him over the years, their close friendship and duty-bound vows blossoming into something more that led to a beautiful romance between prince and shield. Noctis never cared who knew it either, letting anybody who asked know his true feelings with a shrug and sigh.

 

 “Who cares what anybody else thinks?”, he’d say, capturing Gladio’s mouth with his as he gasped between words. “You’re mine, and I love you…”

 

 Gladio couldn’t find a reason to protest either, leaving kisses all over Noctis’s naked body till he was giggling uncontrollably.

 

 Lying with his one true love here in the dark as they pondered their future, he sunk even lower. What should have been happiness as he felt the kicks of their baby, turned only to greater resentment of his own actions. If they had just been more careful… If they had only heeded Ignis’s warnings and been sensible enough to prevent it themselves, Gladio knows things wouldn’t press so hard on his prince.

 

 Clearing his throat and craning his neck so he could speak closer to Noctis, he whispered softly and without hesitation. “Do you regret me getting you pregnant?” He looked between both of those deep, blue oceans, searching for an answer on his own before Noctis smiled and laid his lumpy side on top of Gladio’s taut expanse of muscle.

 

 “Hell no,” he chuckled, rubbing over his huge belly. But he stopped laughing for a moment when he realized just what Gladio’s concern might be. “D-do you…?”

 

 Gladio nodded, biting his lower lip to suppress his tears. He was on the verge of crying, meaning he really did regret this. He didn’t think he did till now, seeing the disappointment and utter sorrow in Noctis’s frown. “I’m sorry, Noct…”

 

 “Gladio…” His hushed, sullen voice called forth those tears in his lover that he had let fall in silence during his absence. “You do regret this?”

 

 “Yeah,” he gulped.

 

 “Why?”

 

 “Of all the things, Noct, I made you pregnant. You’re gonna have a kid at the most important point in our journey, and it’s all my fault. Fuck, I have the worst timing, don’t I?”

 

 “But, Gladio-”

 

 “Lemme finish… You’re a prince, Noct, the Crown Prince. You’ve got responsibilities no one else does and burdens you have to carry yourself, and here I come to fuck things up, just like always. I’m your shield, I’m supposed to protect you and keep you safe from danger… I shouldn’t’ve even touched you…” A long pause gave him enough time to collect himself and dry his tears, moving to sit up and pulling his heavy prince into his lap. “Iggy was right… We have no fuckin’ idea what we’re doin’...”

 

 “Hey,” Noctis murmured harshly, cupping Gladio’s damp face with both palms. “Hey, look at me.”

 

 He looked him right in the eye immediately, taking in every beautiful feature of his inherited lovely frame. He pressed a light kiss to his plump lips.

 

 “Gimme your hand…”

 

 He did as he was told, placing his calloused, broad hand into Noctis’s smaller, softer palm as he then he laid it across his belly, and Gladio could feel their little one kicking against him. Noctis gave his lover’s hand a squeeze, Gladio’s gaze leading him back to those deep blues, clouding over with tears.

 

 “This,” he began. “This is us, Gladio. You have no reason to feel guilty about this, because I wanted it. You tried to convince me to take my pill, I know, but I didn’t and this is what happened. I didn’t listen to you when I should have, but… I’m happy about this baby. I want it and I’ve been in love with it ever since we knew I was pregnant.”

 

 “I know, Noct. I want it too, but…”

 

 “Don’t you love it too?”

 

 “Of course I do,” he said, rubbing circles over Noctis’s back to calm him as his voice started getting desperately louder. “I just needed you to know that I’d never do anything to prevent you from doing your duty, Noct. I love our baby, but I had to tell you how I felt about it all in case something happened that I wasn't able to stop…”

 

 “You and me both, Gladio.”

 

 “I can’t help the guilt I feel… But I want you and our kid to know how much I love you both.”

 

 Noctis wrapped his arms around his lover’s neck, carding his fingers through his brunette strands as he kissed him passionately. It was a needy kiss, and Gladio moaned into it, pulling Noctis closer as his tongue slipped inside his soft lips.

 

 Noctis reluctantly broke the kiss to speak, but Gladio was quick to take his lips again, pushing against him fervently as he gently laid him back on the bed and crawled on top of his swollen belly. He was so careful not to place his weight on their baby, tenderly caressing his blubby hips and making his prince moan at the motion.

 

 “Gladio-”, Noctis gasped as he let out another breathless moan through swollen, parted lips. “You don’t… have to… tell me… I know you… love us… I love… you…”

 

 Finally, Gladio pulled away slowly, resting his chin stubble on his lover’s pregnant belly to gaze down lovingly at his Noctis.  _ His  _ Noctis, the one he’d pledged his life to… the one he vowed to love till the end of their days. “I love you so much, my beautiful Noctis… And I promise to make everything right for us.”

 

 “I know you will…” One more beautiful smirk from those pouty lips and they carried on as quietly as they could in the act of passionate lovemaking.

 

 The time for them to depart for Altissia approached all too soon…

  
  


 ×××

 

 “Give me your hand, Noct,” Ignis offered to help his prince, extending a hand for him to grab onto, even though they were only at the entrance to the Leville. He hadn’t asked for it on the gondola, so why should he now on solid ground? “And remember to walk  _ slowly _ ...”

 

 Noctis groaned, rolling his eyes as he leaned into Gladio’s girth when he wrapped an arm over his lover’s shoulders. “Ignis, c’mon, cut it out! I’m fine the way I am.”

 

 “Leave ‘im alone, Iggy,” Gladio interrupted, earning a sharp glare from the advisor, but no response.

 

 “Come, Noct.” Still, he urged for him to take his hold, completely ignoring Gladio as he cut in between them and stole his prince away from the tallest man. He pulled him along gently, helping him up the red-carpeted stairs to their hotel room. Once inside, Noctis yanked his hand out of Ignis’s grip, wobbling across the room to plop in an armchair.

 

 He rubbed little self-comforting circles over his very pregnant belly, sighing to himself, but loud enough to where he hoped his belligerent advisor could hear it.

 

 “I know what you’re going to say, Noct. But I will not hear of it any longer.” It worked. He spoke up from the kitchen, irritable noises at his fingertips as he set a pot of water for tea. “I tried to talk it out with him, but I cannot condone his carelessness regarding you and the baby!”

 

 “It wasn’t careless, Ignis!” Noctis wasn’t shy about letting him know his displeasure, whiny complaints his constant in every conversation with Ignis since Ravatogh. “It was an act of love!”

 

 “Act of love? If dragging you into the throes of danger is love, I don’t think I could bare to see hate. Or is this what you call arguing with me?”

 

 “And this is exactly why I needed a vacation from you guys. Especially you, Ignis!”

 

 “And is Prompto any less of a human being for caring for you and the baby?”

 

 “He’s less of a jerk for keeping his distance and MINDING HIS OWN BUSINESS!” His arms sat on his belly, crossed in annoyance. 

 

 A smart-ass smirk played on his fuller lips as Ignis returned to the bedroom. “So you’re a touch emotional, entering your ninth month of pregnancy,” he remarked viciously, clearly gaining the upper hand. “Not to mention three days overdue. But it’s perfectly logical, nonetheless.”

 

 “What’s three days? And I’m not emotional, you just don’t wanna hear how wrong you are. And you are wrong, Ignis,” he said strongly. “I wish you’d get over it and make up with Gladio already.”

 

 He stared at him, green eyes blank as a canvas. “No.”

 

 “Because you’re right, and he’s wrong…,” Noctis sighed, defeated. “Like that’s all there is to it. I thought it wasn’t about right or wrong.”

 

 “It’s about you, Noct.”

 

 “Then let us be! And stop treating Gladio like he’s a-”

 

 He stopped short as the door to their room creaked open, Prompto sulking in like a lovesick puppy and Gladio stepping in calmly behind him.

 

 The large man gave his lover a warm smile, hanging his jacket up on the coat hook. “You alright, baby?”

 

 “Kinda,” Noctis replied, grimacing as he palmed his lower back. “I have a sharp pain in my hips… and I think it’s getting worse the longer I’m around a certain somebody.”

 

 Ignis caught that sneaky glare he received, choosing to ignore it as he began unpacking their things. “So, any thoughts on meeting the First Secretary? Weskham mentioned she’s a bit of hardhead, but I’m sure her reputation is quite commendable.”

 

 Prompto laughed snarkily, pulling up a chair to sit close to Noctis. “She’s kinda creepy to be honest. And I don’t really like the way she looked at Noct, like he was some kind of freak.” He took his friend’s hand and patted it.

 

 “Not too far from it,” Noctis smirked, gently pulling away from Prompto’s hold. “Who’s ever seen a pregnant prince before?”

 

 “Not true,” Gladio broke in, kneeling before Noctis and leaning in to kiss his soft, pink lips. “You’re beautiful always, Noct. Don’t let anyone ever tell you different.”

 

 A warm smile. “Thanks, babe…”

 

 Prompto truly adored the way his two friends lovingly gazed at each other like that, when they would see each other as the most precious person in the world. It was no wonder how Noctis ended up pregnant, they loved each other maybe a little too much for logic and common sense to step between them.

 

 Even Ignis’s voice of reason wasn’t persuasive enough to stop them; though it wasn’t like he hadn’t expected this. He had known for awhile that Noctis wanted a baby and proceeded to talk him out of it when it was crucial for them all to prepare for the journey to Altissia, but he just couldn’t muster up the courage to bring it up to his prince. Until Ravatogh, that is.

 

 He surely didn’t hold back against Gladio. In fact, their argument was the highlight of their two week excursion so far, Prompto pointed out one morning. They haven’t spoken to each other much since, except for the occasional “excuse me” or “no, thank you”. The lack of communication and camaraderie between his advisor and shield drove Noctis up the wall, a sharp rift growing deeper between Ignis and the prince himself.

 

 They needed to come closer together now more than ever, the trial of Leviathan just a few days away.

  
  


 ×××

 

 Evening set in and the four found some time to just hang out and do whatever they felt like. Even though it technically wasn’t a vacation, it felt like one to Prompto and Noctis, who tried hard to convince the two older boys to let their guards down and relax.

 

 And they did eventually, giving in once again to constant whining. Prompto and Ignis sat at odds with each other on their shared hotel bed, locked in a fierce game of crazy eights, while Gladio lay on his side atop his and Noctis’s bed, arm as his pillow, reading a 500-page novel and occasionally leering at his half-naked lover. Watching Noctis get undressed for bed was almost as pleasurable for him as their intimacy; the prince was gorgeous.

 

 The shield cat-called, beckoning his lover with a suggestive tilt of his head. “Hey, gorgeous. You ever gonna pick a shirt to wear? I gave you my old Crownsguard tee, just put it on and get over here already.”

 

 With a reluctant sigh, Noctis slipped Gladio’s dark grey t-shirt over his fluff of ashen hair and wobbled toward the bed, the swish of the long cotton caressing his heavy belly. “Just trying to pick one that won’t make me sweat like hell.”

 

 “Does that one?”

 

 “No.”

 

 Gladio marked his page and closed it, setting it on the side table and then sat up, reaching out for Noctis to cuddle him inside his massive warmth. “Then I do know what’s best for you, right?”

 

 Noctis waves off his lover’s mile-wide grin. “Yeah, right… You have no idea what it’s like to be fat, and tired, and feeling like you want to-” As soon as his knee sunk into the mattress, he froze and clutched his belly. He could feel a dull tightening and a warbling of his lower muscles that induced pressure within his abdomen.

 

 This couldn’t be the baby now… could it?

 

 “Ah,” he breathed, finding it harder to catch his breath as he gasped out in slight pain. “Ah, Gladio?”

 

 Gladio’s eyes narrowed in concern, immediately at the edge of the bed to hold his shaky prince. “Noct? Noct, what’s the matter, baby? Is it… time?”

 

 “What?” Prompto dropped his cards, his anxiety soaring through the roof as he witnessed his best friend fight off a stubborn bout of pain. “Noct?!”

 

 Ignis, on the other hand, seemed calm as a lamb; his nonchalant shift off the bed told all three of his companions that he had complete control of the whole situation. “Nothing to fret over, Prompto,” he said in his typical I’ve-got-this attitude. “It’s only childbirth.”

 

 “ONLY childbirth?!”, the blonde exclaimed, racing for Noctis’s side. “It’s too soon!”

 

 “On the contrary. He is three days overdue. It’s high time that baby came to see us.”

 

 “Uh, hey, guys? Instead of talking about me, could you HELP me?” Noctis’s voice was all nervousness and fear as he still struggled to come to terms with what was really happening. “Ignis? Am I really doing this?”

 

 Ignis smiled warmly at those scared little blues before him on the bed. “Yes. Yes, you are, Noct. But there is no need to be afraid, I’m here.” He gently patted his hand and then helped him settle into the bed, the covers pulled right up under his sore breasts. “Prompto and I will do everything we can to help you deliver safely, I promise.”

 

 Without having to be told to do so, Noctis tugged on his boxers and shimmied them off his legs, dropping them off the edge of the bed. “Does pushing hurt?”

 

 “Yes,” his advisor replied simply, digging through a duffle bag. “Very much… Prompto, would you set a pot of water to boil? We’ll need everything as sterile as possible. And I’ll search for some extra rags…” He brushed rather roughly by Gladio’s side. “Excuse me.”

 

 Gladio growled lowly, clenching his fists at how Ignis callously left him out of the assistance equation. He let it go for now, sitting beside Noctis. “You okay, Noct? You need me to do anything for you, babe? Maybe I could-”

 

 Noctis winced, searching for Gladio’s hand as another pain throbbed inside his bottom. “Hang on,” he gasped, grasping his lover’s steady hand and squeezing involuntarily. “Hoooo, ah, Gladio… gods…”

 

 Gladio offered him a slight smile, his lips tight with painful sympathy. “Breathe, baby… breathe.”

 

 When the pain finally subsided, Noctis lay limp against his pillows and gazed lovingly at his shield. “Thanks, Gladio.”

 

 “You need anything else, baby, I’m here.” The warm twinkle in his ambers when he winked made Noctis giggle.

 

 Still highly skeptical of how much of a help big and rough Gladiolus Amicitia would be to his prince in so delicate of a process, Ignis hid his pride within himself and returned to the bedside with a responsible huff.

  
  


 ×××

 

 Hours passed, but it felt more like days as Noctis entered the most crucial part of his labor: pushing. Lots and lots of pushing… and screaming.

 

 “Iggy!! Iggy, oh gods. Gladio, please!! Uuuunnnggghhh!!”

 

 If there was one thing in the world that Gladio hated the most, it was to witness his prince, his lover be forced to endure such excruciating pain. The kind of pain he knew he could do nothing about as it tortured Noctis this way and that.

 

 Just sitting behind Noctis with his firm thighs on either side of him for support wasn’t enough. When the prince’s damp strands of raven flew back against his chest in exhaustion, it took all the discipline and strength the older man had inside not to want to rip that baby out of him to make the pain go away. His attempts to soothe him by holding his trembling form and whispering sweet nothings into his ear, just felt so godsdamn useless to him.

 

 Noctis couldn’t help the deafening yells that tore out of him as he pushed as hard as he could, agonizing ripples of pain wracking his 5’9 body without mercy. “Gladio,” Noctis panted as he looked up at him, gripping his lover’s hands so tightly that his fingerprints left red marks. “Gladio?”

 

 The shield only smiled back, knowing Noctis really couldn’t say what he meant to right now for obvious reasons. “Yeah, baby. I’m still here, and you’re doin’ fine.”

 

 “Hope the baby... is as beautiful… as you are,” he giggled through a pained exhale, those full, pink lips turning into a playful smirk.

 

 “You really think I’m beauti-”

 

 “Noct.”

 

 Noctis fearfully glanced down at those piercing green eyes behind glass, arching as the pain jolted him out of his rest, incredibly sharp and unrelenting. “IGNIS!”

 

 “Push, Noct. Good, good…” The harder Noctis pushed, the louder he groaned. And the wider Ignis’s grin became, his head swelled just as large with self-satisfaction, taking great pride in how expertly he handled Noctis in childbirth. He knew Gladio could never be nearly as proficient as he was. “Ah, beautiful, Noct! Beautiful, keep going…”

 

 Noctis lay with his bottom completely exposed, the bed in total disarray as he fisted the sheets, twisting and pulling for something to rescue him from this agony. “Ooooohhhhhh! Gladio, DO SOMETHING!” One hand left the sheets alone and found Gladio, grasping desperately at his sturdy shoulder behind him. “Holy shit! The hell. Did you. Put in me?! Angh! Gladio, just-” Another painful round of bearing into his rear had him gasping for breath, his quivering, sweaty legs falling slack against Gladio’s thighs.

 

 Ignis slipped a latex glove on, the slap of rubber retraction making Prompto jump as the blonde stood behind the advisor, biting his nails till they were little stubs. “Iggy?”, he says. “Is he gonna be okay?”

 

 “Just fine, I told you, Prompto. Now, let me work…” He stuck his hand gently between Noctis’s thighs to feel for the rim inside of his rump, checking to see how far it had stretched for the baby to come through. “Noct, lift your bottom for me, please.”

 

 “I can’t,” he groaned, his head pressing up hard into Gladio’s chest. “I can’t! Oh, gods!!”

 

 But he did, the next pain he had was enough to make him buck off the bed, providing Ignis with all the room he needed to assess how far along he was now. Ignis flinched when Noctis pulled back though, the pain was just too unbearable. “Noct,” he says, gently rubbing his thigh. “Please, hold still for a moment.”

 

 “But it hurts! Oh gods, it hurts!”

 

 “I know it does, Noct, but you must let me check to see if the baby is crowni-” He steadily pulled his hand out of him, frozen in thought and motion by what he did NOT expect to feel right off.

 

 “Iggy? Iggy, you okay?” Prompto’s frantic question in the advisor’s ears sounded muffled, like he was a million miles away. “Iggy, what is it?”

 

 His mind spun at this discovery, his ears ringing so intensely as he began to feel flushed and sweaty. He just stood there while Noctis groaned and began to push again, Gladio shushing him as he counted the seconds of the contraction. His reality snapped back into place the instant he heard Noctis’s pained cry, immediately coming to hold Noctis’s legs in place. “Noct. Do not push. Do you hear me?” His voice completely serious, matching the urgency in his sharp, green glare.

 

 “WHAT?!” Noctis struggled to hold himself up, the sheets shifting every which way as he stared bewildered at his advisor’s incredulous idea. “Are you fucking kidding me, Ignis?! What do you mean?! I have to- oh gods, OH GODS!” Horrible pain engulfed his entire body, heavy pressure seizing up every muscle as the urge to push became involuntary.

 

 Gladio held steady as his lover writhed in his arms, Noctis shoving him away unintentionally and kicking at his feet. “Iggy, what’s wrong? He has to push, are you crazy?”

 

 He replied with the same cold stare he had used since their fight back in Lucis and turned instead to Prompto. “Prompto. I need you to call the hospital right this second. Now.”

 

 “Uh, okay, but is Noct gonna-” He swiveled in circles searching for the phone, almost falling off the chair as he plopped on it to pick up the phone and dial.

 

 “Yes, he will be, if we’re fast and  _ careful _ .”

 

 Gladio didn't miss that one, giving the angry glare right back to him. “Tell me what’s going on, Iggy! What is it?!”, he demanded, clenching his jaw so tight that it hurt.

 

 Noctis began to push yet again, moaning as he threw his head back. “IGNIS!!”

 

 Ignis rushed between his legs and held them closed, forcing Noctis to halt with an exasperated gasp of breath and a curse following shortly. “I said don’t push, Noctis! I mean that with all seriousness!”

 

 Gladio slammed his fist into the mattress, leaving the bed to slowly fluff back up from the pressure. His ambers flashed angry hostility toward the advisor. “He HAS to push, Iggy! The hell are you telling him to stop for?!”

 

 “Because we could lose them both if he doesn't!!!”

 

 Noctis fell back limp against Gladio, his knees flailing as the pain absorbed any relief he thought he’d be granted. Gladio looked back and forth between Ignis’s jade eyes, seeing that all the disappointment that once held vigil had been replaced by fear; pure and simple. “Iggy, what are you… saying?”

 

 It was no mistake. The frail, tiny feet that had squirmed at his fingertips were no figment of his imagination. This was real, and dangerous as anything could be for his prince. “It’s a breach,” he says, heavy and droned like all of his breath had left him and sand began to fill his lungs; choking him to death.

 

 Prompto held the phone out in shaky hands. Iggy,” he whispered hoarsely. “They’re a-asking about N-Noct… Can you…?”

 

 He took the phone from Prompto hesitantly, beginning to lose his nerve very quickly. Any semblance of pride had vanished finally, the intense worry and need to care for his prince coming back one-thousandfold. How could he have been so caught up in his own rightness, that he neglected his own failings and failed to realize how  _ wrong  _ he had been about everything?

 

He looked on with great sympathy as he appreciated, for once in so long a while, how Gladio was trying so hard to comfort his prince. The shield’s deep voice cracked with obvious sobs, threatening to pour forth if not for his mental willpower to stay strong for Noctis. The words he murmured so sweetly against Noctis’s cheek as he peppered his face with kisses made the advisor smile; not so much at the gesture, but at how tenderly Gladio cared for his prince in a time as dire as this.

 

 Perhaps even more tender than himself.

 

 He pressed the earpiece to his head and answered all their questions accordingly, explained to them the situation in short, accurate responses before hanging up with a brief sigh. “They’re ready for us.”

  
  


 ×××

 

 “GLADIO!”

 

 Noctis’s piercing cry caught the attention of all the staff on that floor and all the patients waiting to be seen as he was quickly wheelchaired into a delivery room. His hands clamped down hard on his belly, the urge to push overwhelming all five senses to the point where he didn’t care if he birthed the baby on all fours, panting and crying over the hard, laminated floor… He just wanted that baby out.

 

 But he couldn’t, not when the baby came down feet first. It wasn’t safe, and during the whole run over to the Last Hope Accordo Hospital, Ignis made certain Noctis knew that; the hospital staff reinforcing the same sentiment as they rushed him into the emergency maternity ward.

 

 The other three trailed behind until they arrived at two, intimidating double lab doors where Noctis was wheeled in, his screams echoing down every hall. “Gladio! Don’t leave me! Please!”

 

 As soon as he disappeared through the double doors, Gladio grabbed the nearest surgeon and held him at eye level. “Let me in with him, I’ve gotta be in there!”

 

 “I’m sorry,” the surgeon said, pulling himself away and fixing his scrubs before placing a mask over his mouth. “We can’t let you. You’ll have to remain out here.”

 

 “Let. Me. In. Now!”, he growled, Noctis screaming his name making him as agitated and desperate as a mother bear fending for her cubs. “I’ll put on scrubs, wash myself… fuck, I’ll even jump on one of those damn tables myself! Just let me be with him! Hell, I’m the fucking father!”

 

 Reluctant but in too much of a rush to be that concerned over a few cuss words, the surgeon agreed and allowed him in, handing him his own scrubs. “Alright. Put these on and follow that nurse right over there,” he instructed, pointing at a nurse in pink scrubs about to enter the room through a single door. “It won’t be long, so be quick.”

 

 The next time Gladio appeared, he was buried in a big, blue uniform, his face not yet covered with one of those cloth masks. The nurse dragged him over to the doors and pushed them open.

 

 “Gladio!” Ignis jumped up and tugged on Gladio’s scrub-clad arm, glancing up at him in both fear and hope for his friend. “Please. Help him through this… I can’t…” He lowered his head, sulking back to his chair. “Please, stay by his side… he needs you.”

 

 Gladio nodded a gruff hum, entering the cold, sterile room without a word. But he meant it. He meant to say, “I will, Iggy. I promise.”

  
  


 ×××

 

 “Oh GODS!! Take it out, please!! Gladio!” Noctis reached back for his lover as the doctors prepped him, his legs spread high and wide in the stirrups. He jumped when the lead surgeon drenched his thighs and rear in that cold, orange iodine. “Gladio!”

 

 “Noct,” Gladio spoke softly beside his head, kissing his cheek and then his chin, brushing his damp hair back. “It’s alright, baby, it’s alright. The docs are gonna take good care of you.”

 

 Soft, clammy hands flew to the sides of the operating table, gripping for life as his knuckles turned white. “PLEASE, GLADIO!!!”

 

 “Noctis, stay calm, okay? I need you to relax and be calm. We’re gonna get you through this, alright? Just breathe.” The surgeon’s loud, leader-like tone made him feel even more anxious as his cold, latex hands traced down his thighs to his arse where he spread his hole and stuck a finger inside to feel for the baby. “Keep breathing, Noctis, keep breathing.”

 

 Noctis arched, everything so tense and cold and uncomfortable as all hell. His frantic gaze led him to look to Gladio once again. “Gladio?”, he gasped out, breaths so uneven and shivering. “Gladio… help me, please, I have to push!!”

 

 Gladio’s own large, gloved hand held Noctis’s tight and tender, not once letting it go slack. “I’ve got you, baby… I’ve got you, you can do this. Don’t push till the doctor says, alright?”

 

 He glanced down between his flying legs again and witnessed a nurse bring over this hideous metal contraption with two humongous prongs. His blue eyes went wide, desperately wanting to back away and bolt out of the room. “The hell is that?!”

 

 The doctor's assuring stare didn’t promise what he meant it to as he scooted closer on a stool between the prince’s legs. “These are forceps, Noctis. They help us to see where the baby is, now you have got to relax your muscles and breathe for me, okay?”

 

 Noctis’s dark blues searched Gladio’s fearful ambers, pleading for help. “He’s gonna stick that thing inside me?! Gladio?!”

 

 Gladio tried giving him a smile, still holding his hand as it was squeezed to death. “Baby, he’s gonna help you and-”

 

 It was no use. Noctis was already too far into his writhing and screaming as he bucked into the doctor’s prodding, the forceps invading and pushing into his body like they had an intent to kill him.

 

 “Breathe, Noctis, breathe,” the doctor scolded him, turning the forceps without any permission from the baby’s mother to do so. “The baby is in the right position now, so all you need to do is push for me. Bear down and push, Noctis.”

 

 Noctis felt like this was to be the end of him, the deathly grip of intense pressure and agonizing pain on his whole body forcing all the strength he had left to focus on pushing this baby out. He had no choice now. He tucked his chin to his breasts and bore into his bottom, groaning with every second the nurse counted. “Oh, gods,” he breathed heavily, holding on to Gladio’s sturdy arm with both hands. “Gladio?!”

 

 “Baby, I’m here, you’re doin’ fine. Keep going, I know you can do this…”

 

 Something about the way Gladio spoke to him in such a soft, deep, tender voice in that moment gave him his strength back, his courage to keep pushing until he was done. Those ambers never lied, and never failed him.

 

 So he pushed again. And again… and again…

  
  


×××

 

 All Ignis and Prompto could hear on the other side were the agonizing screams of Noctis as he followed the doctors’ instructions to a T, pushing and pushing hard till he passed out. They were as haunting as they were saddening, Prompto covering his ears with his palms as tears slipped down his freckled cheeks.

 

 “I can’t listen to him anymore, Iggy… I can’t…” He walked off down the hall, whimpering against his will to want to break down in tears.

 

 So the advisor sat alone, hands folded neatly in his lap and a gaze at the polished floor of silent scolding toward himself. His grimace worsened every time Noctis cried out in vain, begging for them to intervene. And for some reason, Ignis found himself wishing to hear Gladio’s voice, whispering deeply and cooing into Noctis’s soft skin in his gentle attempt to calm him.

 

 It was all he could do to keep from breaking down himself. Maybe it was because of his own guilt, his refusal to admit that he did understand Gladio for taking Noctis, as pregnant as he was, up the Rock of Ravatogh; as dangerous as THAT was. He had been rather overbearing since finding out that Noctis was with child, crowding in on them and constantly harping on the whole thing being Gladio’s fault.

 

 He had let so much anger and distance build up between he and Gladio, that he began to doubt whether or not he could truly trust Gladio regarding anything to do with Noctis. Ignis really did believe himself superior to Gladio when it came to the care and protection of their prince, having been charged with such nearly most of his life.

 

 Maybe it was a touch of jealousy. He always feared being apart from Noctis, the vow he had made to stand by him being his biggest priority in life. He had promised the king that he would be there for the prince, always. But when Gladio had made quite the same vow as the prince’s Shield, Ignis felt a little displaced by so large and intimidating a man; invading his and Noctis's close, lifelong friendship.

 

 He thought he could learn to live with it a long time ago, but as it turned out, Noctis was right this time. He was righter than Ignis, whom they all called the most intelligent and sensible of the group.

 

 For once, Ignis had been so very, very…  _ wrong _ .

 

 After what felt like an eternity, Ignis woke up in a daze to a fully scrubbed nurse, carrying a blanketed bundle out of the surgery. “Would you like to see? Papa said you would,” she said kindly, holding it out to him. “He’s a gorgeous thing.”

 

 Ignis let a smile form on his drool-crusted lips, nodding. “A boy…,” his voice barely above a whisper as she handed it to him carefully. Gently, and a bit hesitant to reveal so precious a gift he didn’t think he deserved to see, peeled back the hood of the blanket. “My word… he is beautiful…”

 

 All of his fears, for a moment, were all blown away by the blazing tiny head of red hair cradled in his arms. Those squinty eyes freshly soaked by that eye liquid to prevent dryness, those puny lips pursed forward in an adorable pout as he slept, and that authoritative angle of his father’s nose soon to help frame so handsome of a face as he aged… It brought the most joyful of tears to Ignis’s eyes, and he didn’t want to let go yet. Still, he had to know if Noctis had endured so painful of an ordeal, turning toward the nurse.

 

 “How is Noctis…? Is he…?”

 

 The nurse smiled. “He’s exhausted, but he’ll recover. He needs a lot of rest. His boyfriend is still with him, and you can join him, but only for a few minutes, okay?”

 

 Ignis returned his gaze to the beautiful, sleeping baby before him. He could stare at him all day. “I believe… I think I’ll stay out here for awhile longer… if I can keep him?”

 

 She sat in the chair beside him and waited patiently until he was done admiring the small bundle of joy. “Reddest head of hair I’ve ever seen,” she mused, fluffing some of his wispy strands with her fingertips. “He’s a lucky little guy.”

 

 “Lucky?” His heart dropped.

 

 “Yes. His mama was a trooper though, stayed with it through the whole thing. We could’ve lost them both if it wasn’t for that Gladio fella, he encouraged him to keep going no matter what.”

 

 Now Ignis had to speak with Gladio. He couldn't put it off any longer.

  
  


 ×××

 

 Noctis stirred, feeling completely exhausted and like he had been sleeping under a rock as he stretched his weary muscles, some of them cracking from the sudden movement. His bottom ached, soreness surfacing when he shifted under the thin hospital sheet. But when he opened his dark blue eyes, his heart fluttered with joy.

 

 Gladio leaned over the bed, grinning warmly with those big, shiny copper eyes and taking his hand in his to kiss it. Ignis sat on the bed at his left side, poised proper and alert, but greeted his prince with a kind nod. And Prompto sat cross-legged at his feet, tears having glossed his freckled cheeks as he held Noctis’s little boy close to him.

 

 “Hey,” he slurred, glancing at each one of them before his gaze stopped on Ignis, and then switched to Gladio. “Didn’t think you guys would sit this close to each other.”

 

 Ignis snickered, clearing his throat before addressing his exhausted prince. “Well, suffice it to say, we’ve, ah… settled our differences.”

 

 “Yeah,” Gladio kissed him on the cheek. “He apologized, and we’re alright now, baby. I had a few things to get off my chest that he understood… finally.”

 

 “Uh, we  _ both _ understand one another, right?”

 

 The big man laughed softly. “Right, Iggy.”

 

 Noctis smiled, but he would rather have fallen back to sleep again. “Am I glad to hear that… Y’know, I really hate it when you guys fight. Over me, no less.”

 

 “I’m so sorry, Noct, for all the trouble I’ve caused you both,” Ignis said solemnly, a hand resting on Noctis’s thigh. “You were right. Gladio’s heart is always in the right place and I… I was just being a stubborn, bloody bastard about it.”

 

 Prompto’s hand flew to his mouth to cover his gasp. “Iggy… cursed?! Whoa, never heard THAT before!”

 

 “Know something? I don’t think I’ve ever heard him curse before either,” a giggle from Noctis as he lay back against the cluster of pillows, tugging Gladio over onto the bed with him.

 

 He obliged happily, gently and carefully wrapping his huge arms around his lover’s sore body. “Another one to cross off the bucket list.”

 

 “I believe it’s fitting for my inexcusable behavior,” Ignis agreed, receiving the baby from Prompto and cuddling it close. “This boy is beautiful, Noctis. He’s the spitting image of Gladio.”

 

 Noctis’s blue eyes sparkled at the sight of his newborn baby boy. “Lemme see him,” he mumbled, tired arms held out.

 

 “You haven’t seen him yet, Noct?”, Prompto asked, getting up to stand closer beside his best friend. “That’s not fair. You gave birth to him.”

 

 “Only cuz I fell asleep when they put him on my boobs,” he replied, snuggling his son in his arms.

 

 “ _ Breasts _ ,” Ignis sighed, adjusting his glasses.

 

 Noctis chuckled heartily this time, enjoying how annoyed Ignis got whenever he teased him. “That’s what I said… Wow… Gladio, look at his hair!”

 

 Gladio caressed his son’s chubby cheek with a dry finger. “Flaming red… just like mine when I came out of my mama.”

 

 Ignis quirked a curious brow. “Truly, Gladio? Your hair was once that red?”

 

 “Yup. Iris’s too. Comes from dad, but you would've never known. He was bald for the longest time.”

 

 “How interesting…”

 

 Prompto squealed. “Omg… he’s so adorable, Noct! I’ve gotta snap a pic now!”

 

 After a few seconds admiring the beauty of his newborn baby, Noctis turned to Gladio, blues half-lidded and glossy. “Gladio. Promise me something?”

 

 “Yeah, baby?” He leaned closer, hugging him to his chest.

 

 “Don’t you ever put me through this again.”

 

 Gladio nuzzled his nose into Noctis’s disheveled dark locks. “Heh, I promise.”

 

  "What do you wanna name him?"

 

  Gladio hummed. "Somethin' that says 'us'."

 

  Noctis stared into that fluff of fiery hair, his groggy mind working overtime trying to think of a name. "'Us', huh? How about Clarence?"

 

  Gladio nodded an agreeable grin. "Sounds like Clarus and Regis in one name... our dads..."

 

  "That was the point, babe," Noctis pecked his scruffy cheek.

 

  "Perfect," he whispered, his hand resting on his son's little belly.

  
  


 **Epilogue**

 

 Noctis stood silent by the dark, blue water, the warming sun at his back and the chilling, ocean breeze on his weary face as he closed his eyes. He relished the peace he felt here, the soft swishing and plooping of the waves against the wooden dock, every dark thing that had happened during the trial the day before seeming so far away.

 

  Clarence sat strapped to his breast, tiny hands playing with the zipper on his jacket as he gently patted his son’s back. It reminded him of himself, once so long ago innocent and carefree, curious about everything. He gazed down at that gorgeous, flaming red head and couldn’t stop the tears that fell on top of it. Their world was falling apart and there was nothing anyone could do now.

 

 Big, broad palms placed themselves over his shoulders, kneading tenderly as he was kissed in the back of the head by scruffy lips. But he didn’t turn, his heart much too heavy to gaze into his lover’s copper-sheened orbs. He locked his hands across his baby’s back, rocking back and forth until he and his lover were called from a few feet away.

 

 “Noct? Gladio? We’re ready to hit the road… if you are,” Prompto said, quiet and reserved as he helped a now blind Ignis shuffle over to King Regis’s boat.

 

 “You ready, baby?” Gladio’s droned, surprisingly soft voice brought the prince out of his thoughts, finally turning around to follow after his friends; the sorrow and pain in his sapphires never leaving the hunched, sullen figure of his advisor, forever unable to once more see how beautiful the ocean was. His steps felt so heavy, the murmured snores of his red-headed son attempting to soothe his broken soul.

 

 If he could be granted some way... any way to return to Lucis, Noctis was absolutely certain he’d run up that burning mountain path, follow it to the heavens, and never look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bittersweet end, but I hope I made you happy!... Or cry, or whatever other emotion you felt while reading ;)
> 
> Let me know what you thought of the name Clarence!


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